State Action Gets Sandy Hook School Project Off To A Fast Start

Sandy Hook School demolition and remediation work is already running ahead of schedule, thanks to the state recommending remediation vendor Bestech also handle demolition work at the site.

According to First Selectman Pat Llodra, late last Friday, October 11, the town received notice from the state that the town could move forward using Bestech for both remediation and demolition under a “professional services” designation, which means the town would not have to go out to bid for a separate demolition contractor.

Mrs Llodra said retaining Bestech for both services is a plus for Newtown on several fronts. First, without having to go through a bidding process, the town can get a two to three week jump on work at the site.

She said this virtually ensures that both the structure, as well as most or all the post demolition debris will be cleared from the site by December 14, the first anniversary of the tragic shooting. Mrs Llodra also said it will minimize the number of workers on the site, and that they will all now be working for a single vendor.

As a result, security credentialing will be easier. And with fewer workers all under the same vendor, controls to assure no debris or images from the demolition process leave the site will be able to be enforced more effectively.

Bestech crews have been working at the school since October 7, just two days after residents voted to accept a state grant of almost $50 million to demolish and rebuild a new school at the site. They were joined by colleagues handling demolition duties on October 14.

Town officials were originally planning to fast-track a bidding process for demolition services, and thought they could have a crew hired and on site by the end of October.

Newtown Public Building and Site Commission Chairman Robert Mitchell previously said that coordination between the remediation and demolition teams will be somewhat unique, because there are areas of the building that will require some partial demolition to occur before remediation crews can complete their job.

This aspect of the work will also be more efficient now that only one company is handling both duties, Mr Mitchell said Monday.

According to the company’s website, for more than 25 years Bestech has provided environmental and demolition services throughout New England. The company’s clients include attorneys, general contractors, governmental agencies, home owners, hospitals, industrial & commercial facilities, insurance companies, lending institutions, municipal buildings, property managers, real estate developers, and schools.

Bestech is licensed, bonded, and insured for work in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island, and is prequalified with the CT Department of Administrative Services and the Division of Capital Asset Management of Massachusetts.